Chapter 1
Take Your Sweet Time
Lily Evans took a deep breath, another year back at Hogwarts. Another year of school and friends, another year to excel, another year of James's persistent pestering her to go out with him. She watched out the window as the Hogwarts Express moved steadily on through the thick fog.
She thought of her summer, boring and lonely as usual. She was delighted to be on her way to her fifth year at Hogwarts even if it only meant escaping the Muggle world for only what would seem like only a few short months.
She wondered if she'd grown up over the summer. She wondered if the Marauders had grown up as well. She wondered if Hogwarts would be different, changed just as they might be.
Her wondering was interrupted as her compartment door slid open and her best friend Brooke Soletro stepped in. Brooke was still clad in her Muggle clothes, a pair of black low rise jeans and a peasant blouse, as well as a fair amount of jewelry including a large onyx pendant. She had her dark hair pulled back, except for a few messy strands which framed her face and kept her bun looking messy as opposed to uptight like Madame Pince's.
"Hey Lilz!" she said enthusiastically as she sat down next to Lily, "How was your summer?"
In response Lily shot her a look to say 'What do you think?'
"Oh, yeah. I guess being stuck in the Muggle world must suck. But, at least you get all these awesome clothes!" Brooke said gesturing toward her ensemble.
Lily nodded, "Yes! I am SO borrowing that outfit sometime!"
"Well since you bought it for me…" Brooke said, "I guess it's only right."
Their conversation was interrupted when a girl with strawberry blond hair which was pulled back into a messy half bun entered the compartment.
"Hey Jess!" Lily and Brook said in unison.
"Oy! Lily! Brooke! You guys look gorgeous!" Jessica exclaimed, "And here I am, looking like I just walked off the court…Remus will never notice me now…" she added fussing with her knee length shorts and jersey from an American college neither Lily nor Brooke knew.
"How was America?" Lily asked.
"Eh, it was nice to be home. But, I missed you guys. You'll have to visit over the holiday this year. It was nice to be by the beach again, especially with Carlos…" Jess answered.
"Carlos? Ooooooo…do tell," Brooke said, genuinely interested.
"Carlos is just a friend Brooke. We went to grade school together up until I got my letter. Nice guy, he and I went surfing like, everyday," Jessica answered.
Then the girls heard a racket coming from up the hall. Lily leaned out of the compartment door to see who or what was causing the ruckus. She quickly stepped back inside and shut the compartment door rolling her eyes as she did so.
"Here come the Marauders..." Lily sighed.
It wasn't that she minded them as a group; it was more that she minded James, and his constant pestering.
"Does my hair look alright?" Jessica asked.
"Yes Jess, it's fine, if you're going for that sporty girl look," Brooke said.
Jessica sighed as the compartment door opened yet again.
"Hello ladies," Sirius said as he stepped in and took a seat between Lily and Brooke, "Have a good holiday?"
"Yeah," the three girls replied in unison.
Next to step into the compartment were James Potter and Remus Lupin. Lily expected Peter Pettigrew to follow, but he didn't.
"Not that I really…care…but…where's Peter?" Brooke asked.
"Oh, he decided to pick a fight with some Slytherins, and he got hexed something awful. They confined him to the medical carriage," Sirius explained.
"Oh," Brooke replied.
James sat down across from Lily, leaving Remus to sit next to a smiling, and recently giggly, Jessica.
"He-Hello Remus," she said grinning.
"Er, hello Jess," he said, blushing.
"Hello Lily," James said reaching across the aisle to kiss Lily on the hand.
"James, we're barely past half way to Hogwarts and you're already starting to hit on Lily. Won't you just give it a rest for once?" Sirius said.
James blushed and leaned back in his seat.
"Actually, we're almost three fourths of the way there," another girl said as she stuck her head in the compartment, "You guys should go get changed."
Lily, Brooke, and Jessica could have recognized that face and the gorgeous wavy black hair that framed it even if they hadn't wanted to.
"Esmerelda!" they exclaimed in greeting to their old friend.
"Well I'm going to go get changed, this shirt's bugging the heck out of me. The collar itches. I love it, but it drives me bonkers sometimes," Brooke said.
Jessica and many of the others followed suit and left to go change into their school uniforms, except for Sirius, who was, of course, already wearing his. Now he was left alone, with Lily, who had changed for her prefect's meeting earlier.
"Lily?" he said turning to face her.
"Yes Sirius?" she answered.
"Well…Ummm…er, would you- would you fancy going out with me sometime?" he asked.
"You mean like…be your girlfriend?" Lily asked her heart racing.
"Well, erm…yes…" Sirius replied.